I get so many requests for different dessert or alcohol cthulhus, it's so hard to pick which direction to go in! Being in a pirate mood, I've decided to go with RUM!

My sketches never do my finished art justice - I'm a loose sketcher. I envision a gorgeous woman with a pirate hat - perched upon a barrel of run. I found beautiful reference for long barrels of Rum that were used on pirate ships. Tentacles too, of course! I'm debating whether she needs a parrot - but maybe I'll leave that up to a vote! I would like to work on Twitch LIVE so that fans can contribute to some of these decisions and chat with me. Live times will be posted to come by and say HI as I work on her.

With your help, I can create this masterpiece. I won't get her out by the holidays, BUT I AM going to make a printable christmas / holiday card for you to download and print. It will be available once the kickstarter funds, and you can give it as a gift for the holidays! (wrap your dear one a bottle of Kraken or some tako sushi - Guess what I'm backing for you dear!!!)

I need your help to make her a reality! After you back, be sure to share the link with others - and I will create, with your help, the most delicious pirate ever!

Echo Chernik

About this Series

This series started in 2009. What started out as a fun little idea for a Cthulhu art nouveau pinup has sprawled out of my mind, taken root in the world, and released gorgeous spawn nearly out of my control.

For example: Absinthe Cthulhu

Absinthe Cthulhu 24x48 Lim Ed Framed

The first nine pieces were Pie, Cupcake, Neapolitan Ice Cream (Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla), then Cookie, Absinthe, Champagne, and Tequila. They each began with the simplest of sketches and evolved into what many consider to be my masterpieces.

My Process

The process of creating a modern High Art Nouveau artwork is a monster. My process is the same as Alphonse Mucha's and it always has been very labor intensive.

Alphonse Mucha's Process: Model to Unfinished Drawing to Masterpiece

Alphonse Mucha, the artist who originally perfected this style, created every one of them as a lithograph for contemporary printing methods. He used the highest level of technology available to him and I use what is available today - however that forces me to put extra effort into making the most out of what I have that he didn't.

Cupcake Cthulhu Process

Steps:

Rough Sketch of an idea

Hire and Photograph a Model

Tighter, unfinished Sketch

Final rendering with details

This last step is the primary difference between what Mucha did and what I do.

Every idea begins with a sketch. Those sketches lead to more sketches, then to hiring models, then to more complete sketches, and then to completion.

The finished piece is always greater than the original by many times over, so I beg your indulgence with this sketch. It is only the beginning:

Progress

Sketches

The finished piece is always greater than the original by many times over, so I beg your indulgence with this sketch. The sketches below are rough, although the right side is slightly refined. Neither are finished or used a proper model. There's still a lot to do!

Sketches

I will be hiring another model for this - and there are bound to be improvements and refinements along the way.

Progress of this work will be posted for backers - but I may not get that far along unless this Kickstarter funds - so don't wait for my progress to pledge or for others to back it first. I will be making a point of posting Twitch times that I will be working LIVE on her. I haven't been doing that as much as I'd like - so it's my resolution to work live and chat with fans more often!

REWARDS

Pledge at these levels for the respective minimum reward. You can always pledge an amount of $ over that level for additional rewards. For instance, for two small prints instead of one, pledge $50 at the $25 level.

When the Kickstarter is over, I will send you a survey where you can give me specific details about your pledge and the rewards you would like for it.

Rewards

HOLIDAY CARD!!!

Once she funds, I will post a HOLIDAY card that you can download and wrap up for your loved one as a gift (with or without a bottle of Kraken Rum). :)

SOCIAL MEDIA STRETCH GOALS

I learned a lot from working on campaigns like Name of the Wind with Patrick Rothfuss, so I'm introducing a new set of stretch goals for YOU to participate in without pledging any more yourself.

As we reach these special goals, I will update this page with wonder graphics and thank yous and unique campaign related rewards.

#RumCthulhu on Twitter/Facebook/Tumblr/Pinterest/Reddit/Etc.

Take a photo of yourself with any of the following:

Rum in a cup, glass, barrel, or bottle (label hidden, please)

A tentacle or tentacled creature (nothing pornographic, please)

A piece of any pirate costume (nothing copyrighted, please)

Post it to social media using #RumCthulhu and share.

For 10 #RumCthulhus, I will...

for 25 #RumCthulhus, I will...

For 50 #RumCthulhus, I will...

For 100 #RumCthulhus, I will...

For 250 #RumCthulhus, I will...

Social media sharing is the lifeblood of any campaign. It is nearly impossible for a small artist like me to keep track of it all - so the results will all come down to backers and funding goals.

BACKER STRETCH GOALS

Everything is about backers, so the most important thing is how many backers support this campaign, regardless of how and where they came from. Champagne Cthulhu ended with 125 backers.

If we exceed 125 backers for this campaign, I will....

If we exceed 150 backers, I will...

If we exceed 200 backers, I will...

If we exceed 300 backers, I will...

FUNDING STRETCH GOALS

As we reach certain stretch goals, we have some amazing special rewards planned.

$10,000 - Holiday Card

As soon as we reach our goal, I will make a special Holiday Card and post it to backers to print out and give their special someone/s. You might even use it to announce that they will receive your reward. Just sayin'

$12,500 - Special Gift!

Every Kickstarter artwork I create includes a stretch goal of a special gift customized for it. For Champagne Cthulhu, every backer received a custom wine stopper and higher level backers receive champagne-themed charms. Swan Queen came with feathers. Owl Queen came with tiny mouse skulls. I wonder what special gift fits Rum Cthulhu?

$15,000 - Seagull Queen shall return!

Backers new to my art may not understand this one - but several years ago, I ran a Kickstarter for a work of art titled Seagull Queen, and she only just barely didn't succeed. Ever since, backers have been begging me to put her up again for backing. I keep coming up with new works of art for Kickstarter, but if we reach the $17,500 level, then I guarantee that Seagull Queen will be my very next Kickstarter artwork (not including books).

$17,500 - Surprise!

This one is a surprise!!!

$20,000 - Customization!

Champagne Cthulhu was unique in that every backer had a chance to customize their rewards with the name of their own champagne bottle. I would like to do the same with the Rum Bottle in Rum Cthulhu - but it would need a really high level to warrant all that extra work.

Champagne Cthulhu was customizable!

FROM THE CREATOR

Thank you for helping make these personal pieces possible! I love my job as a fulltime advertising illustrator, but these personal pieces are a way for me to explore my artistic side.... and are so much fun! I couldn't do them without you!

Risks and challenges

I have successfully funded and fulfilled 14 Kickstarters myself (through this account and my husband's) - as well as been a part of several major successful Kickstarter campaigns like Tak with James Ernest and the Name of the Wind Art Deck with Patrick Rothfuss (Elodin Enterprises).
There is no reason this campaign should encounter any unique difficulties funding or fulfilling like all of the others.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

1 Master Size Lim. Ed. Giclee - Unframed

"In exchange for this Letter of Marque, I hereby command you to bring me your greatest treasure. A 24" x 48" Giclee on Canvas of my choice of Echo Cthulhu." *We apologize but we cannot offer this size Chocolate, Strawberry, or Vanilla, as individual pieces. They must come as a set of three.